Former Fleetwood Mac member Bob Welch dies

Olivier Ferrand / Capitol Records

Guitarist and singer Bob Welch, whose work in the early 1970s for Fleetwood Mac set the stage for the band's multi-platinum success later in the decade, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest on Thursday at his home in Nashville. He might not be as synonymous with Fleetwood Mac as Stevie Nicks or Lindsey Buckingham, but Welch's early contributions helped pave the way for the sound the band is celebrated for today.

Guitarist and singer Bob Welch, whose work in the early 1970s for Fleetwood Mac set the stage for the band's multi-platinum success later in the decade, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest on Thursday at his home in Nashville. He might not be as synonymous with Fleetwood Mac as Stevie Nicks or Lindsey Buckingham, but Welch's early contributions helped pave the way for the sound the band is celebrated for today. (Olivier Ferrand / Capitol Records)

Guitarist and singer Bob Welch, whose work in the early 1970s for Fleetwood Mac set the stage for the band's multi-platinum success later in the decade, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest on Thursday at his home in Nashville. He might not be as synonymous with Fleetwood Mac as Stevie Nicks or Lindsey Buckingham, but Welch's early contributions helped pave the way for the sound the band is celebrated for today.